SAVELOYS

8 lb. fresh pork
4 tsp. black pepper
4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. cloves or mace
8 tsp. sage, sweet marjoram, and thyme, mixed
1 teacup bread-crumbs (about 3/4 c.)

Lay the meat, which should be young pork, in a brine of salt and water, with a tablespoonful of saltpetre, and leave it for three days. Dry and mince it, season, and add the grated bread. Stuff in skins, and bake, closely covered, in an oven for half an hour. Or, what is better, steam over boiling water for one hour.
Eat either hot or cold.

From Common Sense in the Household by Marion Harland, New York, 1871

Comment: These are clearly fresh pork sausages, which were somewhat uncommon as such items were normally intended to be salted, smoked or both for long storage to eat in the wintertime.

The curious part, of course, is the name. The dish is English, we are told, and the name may come from the French. According to Wikipedia, "A saveloy is a very vividly red sausage served in southern English fish and chip shops, and also in takeaways in parts of Australia. It is made of pork and is highly seasoned. The name supposedly comes from the French word cervelas, a pork sausage, sometimes made of pig's brains. The taste is similar to frankfurters... There is a reference in the musical "Oliver!" by Lionel Bart. In the song "Food, Glorious Food" workhouse boys sing rapturously of "peas, pudding and saveloys".

Based on that entry, Mrs. Harland's version seems to be a very mild, indeed somewhat wimpy, version of the dish. The stereotype that Americans are too timid to enjoy robustly spiced foods seems to be a very persistent one.

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